HKKM Copper Alloy Technology Group is a world-leading manufacturer of rolled products made from high-performance copper and copper alloys. We produce rolled strip in coil, with plain or hot-dip tinned finish. Our products are accepted worldwide and have been used for decades by major international clients in Europe, Asia and America.
As a global leading manufacturer and supplier of high-performance copper alloys for terminals and connectors, HKKM provides:
From strip for terminals and connectors through to stamped parts, our wide range of differing materials and surface finishes is appreciated all over the world and used by the main connector manufacturers in Europe, America and Asia. We guarantee always to provide you with user-oriented solutions tailored to your specific requirements. Building on our main cornerstones of function, appearance and reliability, we have proven ourselves and achieved absolute customer satisfaction year after year via exceptional conductivity, excellent corrosion resistance and good workability.
Main advantages of HKKM high-performance alloys:
High electrical conductivity
Good relaxation resistance – even at operating temperatures reaching 200°C
High mechanical strength combined with good formability
Good tooling life
Good recyclability of stamping scraps, a valuable contribution to protecting the environment and reducing waste
Materials with tensile strength up to 900 MPa
Precision Plain Copper Strip
Use our plain strip as the basis for electrical and electronic applications in the automotive industry, as well as for communications and power supply.
HKKM high-performance alloys offer an unparalleled combination of electrical conductivity with strength and formability. The corson alloys also have particularly high resistance to stress relaxation.
Copper Alloys
For many years, we have produced differing high-performance semi-finished products for our customers in highly diverse industries, such as automotive, communications and electronics. Following our guiding principles, top quality has always remained our highest priority. This has helped us grow into a major global supplier of high-quality precision strip.
High Performance Copper Alloys
Medium to high electrical conductivity, high strength, good formability and good to excellent resistance to stress relaxation.
Copper
Best electrical conductivity coupled with medium to low strength.
Brass
Most economical material for connectors, low electrical conductivity, medium strength and good workability.
Phosphor Bronze
Medium electrical conductivity, with good spring properties, but more expensive metal than copper and brass.
HOT-DIP Tinning Copper Alloys
Cost-effective protection against corrosion and reduced mating / unmating force of contacts – this is what our hot-dip tinned finishes offer you. Furthermore, we can adjust the tinned surface to yield additional specific desirable properties.
Tinned strip
Ever-more exacting reliability requirements mean that electro-mechanical components are increasingly made from pre-tinned strip. Especially in the automotive industry, hot-dip tinning has proven itself time and time again to be the preferred option for corrosion protection and contact surfaces. Special tinning processes have been developed to permit higher operating temperatures, reduce mating / unmating forces, and minimise fretting corrosion.
Tin-Silver coating
Tin-silver coatings typically offer greater temperature stability and hardness than pure tin coatings. Tin-silver coatings on alloys are suitable for applications hotter than 130°C. This is an entirely lead-free solution that significantly reduces whisker formation and allows soldering for up to six months.
Coatings Beyond Tin-Silver
The table below gives an overview of the differing coating solutions for hot-dip tinned strip and the particular properties of each special tin coating.
Hot-Dip Tinning / Coating Types
HKKM 10 – Pure Tin
Standard coating with IMP*
Coating thickness determines advantages
HKKM 11 – Thin layer
Reduced mating and unmating forces, less prone to fretting corrosion,
HKKM 13 – Thermal Tin
Lowest mating and unmating forces, wear resistant
HKKM 14
More mating cycles possible, due to thicker IMP and pure-tin top layer
HKKM 28M – Tin-Silver
Operating temperatures up to 150°C possible, depending on coating combination
HOT-DIP TINNING
We can supply rolled strips with hot-dip tinned coatings that meet DIN EN 13148.
HKKM's hot-dip tinned coatings are compliant with the EU RoHS Directive (Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment. This directive restricts the use (and placing on the market) of hazardous substances in electrical devices and electronic components) . The intrinsic process characteristics of hot-dip tinning enable coating with alloys. Hot-dip tinned strip is available up to 330 mm maximum width and between 0.15 and 1.5 mm thickness.
We are able to provide two in-house hot-dip tinning options: Mechanical Wipe Tinning (MWT) and Hot Air Levelled Tinning (HALT).
Hot-Dip Tinning to DIN EN 13148 (RoHs compliant)
Thickness: 0.20-1.50 mm
Width: up to 330 mm
Coatings: pure tin, silver-tin, thermal tin
Coating thickness**:
1.0-3.0 μm
2.0-5.0 μm
4.0-10.0 μm
10.0-20.0 μm
ELECTROPLATING
We manufacture electro-plated products according to DIN EN 14436. Via our external electroplating subcontractors, we are able to work with thicknesses from 0.40 to 2.00 mm in widths of up to 170 mm.
Electroplating to DIN EN 14436 (RoHS compliant)
Thickness: 0.2-4.00 mm
Width: up to 300 mm
Coatings: Sn on Cu and Sn on Ni
Coating type: fully plated, dull, bright, or reflow
*IMP: (copper-tin) Inter-Metallic Phase
**Coating thickness ≤ 2 μm available upon request.
Profiled Copper Alloy Strip
Our rolling and grinding operations are part of an optimised production process that enables us to deliver the perfect solution tailored to your design.
In-line thickness gauging means our products have homogeneous material properties and extremely accurate dimensions. We can offer you a variety of options to stress-relieve the material after machining.